Before he died, the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) refused to appoint an individual successor. Instead, he appoint the sangha (Buddhist community) as a whole to succeed him. Why do you think he did this? Do you think it has influenced the historical and institutional development of Buddhism because he did this? Try to use examples from what you've read this week and learned in class to provide a reflection on this speculative question.

Before he died, the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) refused to appoint an individual successor. Instead, he appoint the sangha (Buddhist community) as a whole to succeed him. Why do you think he did this? Do you think it has influenced the historical and institutional development of Buddhism because he did this? Try to use examples from what you’ve read this week and learned in class to provide a reflection on this speculative question.

Before he died, the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) refused to appoint an individual successor. Instead, he appoint the sangha (Buddhist community) as a whole to succeed him. Why do you think he did this? Do you think it has influenced the historical and institutional development of Buddhism because he did this? Try to use examples from what you’ve read this week and learned in class to provide a reflection on this speculative question.